Saint Joseph the Worker
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Feast Day
- May 1
- Born
- Bethlehem (lineage of David)
Saint Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and foster-father of Jesus Christ, is honored by the Church under multiple titles. The Optional Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1 was instituted by Pope Pius XII on May 1, 1955, in his address to the Christian Associations of Italian Workers (ACLI), in order to sanctify human labor and to set the Christian witness of work in counterpoint to the secular International Workers' Day.
The Gospels describe Joseph as a craftsman or carpenter (Greek tekton, Matthew 13:55), a just man (Matthew 1:19) of the house and lineage of David. He accepted the angel's word concerning the conception of Mary's Child, gave Jesus his legal Davidic descent through the imposition of the name (Matthew 1:18-25), and protected the Holy Family during the flight into Egypt and the return to Nazareth.
Pope Pius IX declared Saint Joseph Patron of the Universal Church on December 8, 1870, by the Decree Quemadmodum Deus. Pope Saint John XXIII inserted his name into the Roman Canon in 1962. Pope Francis added Joseph's name to Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV by Decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship, May 1, 2013, and proclaimed a Year of Saint Joseph (December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021) with the Apostolic Letter Patris corde.
The May 1 memorial places the dignity of human work within the Paschal mystery: ordinary labor sanctified through union with Christ, the carpenter's foster-son. Saint John Paul II's encyclical Laborem exercens (1981) draws explicitly on Joseph's example to teach that work is a fundamental dimension of human existence and a participation in God's creative activity.
Patronages
workers · laborers · the universal Church · fathers · carpenters
Catholic Churches Named After Saint Joseph the Worker
20 parishes on Catholic Church Times share Saint Joseph the Worker's name. Find their Mass times, confession schedules, and adoration hours:
- St. Joseph the Worker Mission — Tsholotsho
- St Brigid's Parish - Wulguru (St. Joseph the Worker Church) — Townsville, QLD
- St. Joseph the Worker Parish — Legazpi City, V
- St. Joseph the Worker Proposed Parish — San Pascual, MASBATE
- St. Joseph the Worker Parish — Donsol, SORSOGON
- St. Joseph the Worker Parish — San Jose, NEGROS ORIENTAL
- St. Joseph the Worker Cathedral Parish — Tagbilaran City, BOHOL
- St. Joseph the Worker Parish — Clarin, BOHOL
- St. Joseph the Worker Parish — Davao City, XI
- St. Joseph the Worker Parish — Sta. Cruz, DAVAO DEL SUR
- St. Joseph the Worker Parish — Bacolod City, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL
- Chaplaincy of St. Joseph the Worker — Sipalay, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL
- St. Joseph the Worker Parish — Bacnotan, LA UNION
- St. Joseph the Worker Proposed Parish — Lipa City, BATANGAS
- St. Joseph the Worker Parish — San Narciso, QUEZON
- St. Joseph the Worker Parish — Angono, RIZAL
- St. Joseph the Worker Parish — Sta. Cruz, ILOCOS SUR
- St. Joseph the Worker Quasi-Parish — Pilar, CAR
- St. Joseph the Worker Parish — Carasi, ILOCOS NORTE
- San Joseph the Worker Parish — Pagadian City, ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR
Sources
- https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/speeches/1955/documents/hf_p-xii_spe_19550501_san-giuseppe.html
- https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco-lettera-ap_20201208_patris-corde.html
- https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091981_laborem-exercens.html